


Fighter

by HannahKotoba



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Nonbinary Character, Other, Past Character Death, Post-Canon, Trans Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 13:45:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7760086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HannahKotoba/pseuds/HannahKotoba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The dream of having a nice, quiet life together after the Empire fell was just that: a dream. </p><p>Takes place post-ROTJ/during Aftermath.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fighter

**Author's Note:**

> Kanan uses they/them pronouns in this.

It's a day she had been dreaming of for years, and she still can't believe it has come. The war is over. The Rebellion has won. The Emperor is dead, and without him, the Empire is crumbling. It's unreal; the victory she had fought so hard for is finally at hand.

And yet, despite what the Rebellion, the _New Republic_ , says to the people, the fighting isn't over. There are still fragments of the shattered Empire, fighting for control; and if they let those fragments remain, the Empire could very well reform, take the galaxy back. They've injured the beast, but now they need to move in for the kill.

And that is why she is suiting up again, her pilot's cap fitting snugly as ever around her head and lekku, the old, worn uniform buttoned up once again. It's something familiar in this increasingly unfamiliar time, this uncharted territory. She may not know how to build a government, but she knows how to fly.

As she goes to leave, someone grabs her wrist, and she knows instantly who it is. There's only one person it could be. Kanan; her partner, no, her _spouse_ now, having sworn long ago they'd tie the knot once the Empire was defeated. The ex-Jedi, despite the mask obscuring most of their features, has a sorrowful, pleading face on.

"Don't go."

Hera sighs. She knew this conversation would come. Kanan had never wanted to be part of the Rebel Alliance, not the millitary. They fought only because she did, and because they had very little choice; as a Jedi, or ex-Jedi, perhaps, they were hunted regardless of what they did, so they fought.

"Kanan." Her voice catches in her throat. She doesn't want to leave them, but she knows she must. "The fleet needs me."

"The war is _over_ , Hera. You don't have to fight anymore." Their fingers move from curled around her wrist to intertwined with hers, although instead of delicate skin they find worn gloves. It's just another barrier between them, they think bitterly.

Hera shakes her head, though she knows they can't read that body language. They haven't been able to for a long time, now. "I do. The Republic needs me--"

" _I_ need you," they respond. "Hera, we've already lost so much." The grief is thick in their voice; the old wounds still have yet to heal, or even scar over, and the slightest prick will make them bleed again. "I can't bear losing you too."

Hera gives their hand a tight squeeze. She, too, feels the searing pain; she had come to regard her crew as her family, her _children_ , and each individual loss feels heavy on her heart. It's just the two of them left, now.

"That's why I have to go," she whispers, trying (and failing) to keep her voice level. "We can't let their sacrifice be in vain. We have to keep fighting."

Kanan knew from the start they couldn't change her mind. Hera has always been a fighter, one who stood tall in the face of injustice and did everything in her power to correct it. She could never stand by while the galaxy burned.

They were the opposite. From the day the old Republic became the Empire they had been running, concerned only with themself. Staying alive. In time, that concern grew to include others; their crew, and most importantly, _her_. But that was it; they'd sacrifice the whole galaxy to keep her safe, while she'd sacrifice herself to help the galaxy.

"Then, please." They pull her close. "Promise me you'll _come home_." Just the thought of it is enough to make them nauseous. They can't bear the thought of being alone anymore.

Hera knows in her heart she can't promise anything. She's been one of the lucky ones, surviving as long as she did even as all her friends and comrades burned around her. But one of these days, that luck will run out.

She's prepared for that. She's always been prepared for that.

She just doesn't think they're prepared for that.

So instead, she wraps her arms delicately around their waist, leaning her head against their shoulder. "We'll see each other again." With that, she leans up and brings them into a slow, long, burning kiss. A kiss that says all the things she can't bring herself to say, the things that'll hurt too much to bring to the front.

Kanan kisses her deeply, letting themself melt into the moment. This is all they want, all they've ever wanted; to hold her, to just be together. But they know it won't last. She has to go, and they don't know if she'll ever come back. They push all their emotions into the kiss, knowing with an aching sense that this may be their last one.

Hera pulls back after a long moment, stroking their cheek gently. It's not that she doesn't love them. Oh, _stars_ , does she love them. But the needs of the people come first. She squeezes their hand and then lets go, lets go of everything she loves.

"Goodbye, love."

**Author's Note:**

> I've been balancing reading Life Debt and writing on my Kanan and Hera blogs, so this was only natural, honestly. Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
